Black Apples
by The Great Mikey Weston
Summary: *She wanted a prince, and she got one... but nothing is ever what it seems. A storm approaches...* Luvbi x Dimentio. Yes, you read that right. Rating may rise. Updates Wednesdays. Chapter 4: Luvbi asks Dimentio for magic lessons... -ON HIATUS DUE TO WRITER'S BLOCK-
1. Angel

_...Yeah, sure. Call me crazy. You probably only checked this out to see what fail a "noob" writer could come up with, didn't you? Ha. Well. No. How you like these apples? *SHOT* For those of you who kindly clicked because you're **actually interested **(*gasp* could it be?) I appreciate the interest and hope you will review. Anyway, don't own Mario, enjoy~_

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><p>The day was warm and lovely. The sky burned a magnificent blue, broken by a torrent of fluffy clouds, snowy white against the bold sky. The clouds almost seemed to be lined with silver and gold, shimmering cheerfully as they drifted by. The light breeze seemed to play with the edges of the clouds, sculpting them into fantastic towers of ivory. It was bright and golden, the afternoon passing in a blaze of glory.<p>

At least, that's what Luvbi heard the day was like in the Overthere.

No, instead, here she was, trapped in the dark wasteland known as the Underwhere, cold and miserable. She would honestly rather be outside than here, in her room; it was pretty, yes, adorned with flowers and lace and things of the sort, but it was so _chilly _that none of it really mattered to her. It was nigh on impossible to stay in her room for more than a few minutes without a sweater—funny, she thought ironically, considering all the rumors Overworlders came up with. '_Burning in the Underwhere_'… she could laugh at that.

Luvbi did have to admit, though, that it would be wise to take her hair out of its bun, perhaps to provide warmth for her neck and shoulders. She managed to pull her hands up out of the blankets to search through her snow-kissed hair for the pins that held her hair together.

_Wait… no._

She stopped midway through reaching up to undo the elegant bun that sat neatly atop her head.

_I can't do that._

No, that bun was practically her trademark, next to her wings. If she took it out, she lost one of the very things that made her Princess Luvbi Abigail Bell.

Luvbi sighed and opened the curtain of her enormous canopy bed, wings brushing the shimmery fabric as she slid off of her mattress. She shivered as she left the warmth of her blankets, but firmly told herself that the middle of the day was hardly a time to curl up under the covers, anyway. She gladly drifted to her door and turned the knob, shivering in relief as warmth washed over her. She didn't even care that the air was moist and muggy; she was actually rather glad for it after the stale air in her room.

_What I would not give for my room in the Overthere, _she thought wearily. Pouting, she flitted through the hall, proverbial storm clouds darkening her face as she realized no one was in the hall.

An execution must have been going on.

"Such a vile act," she muttered to herself. "As much as such people deserve it…"

_It is a fate I wish upon no one, what my mother does…_

Luvbi shivered, this time not out of chills, but from fear. _I do not look forward to the day I must commit such an evil act… _She continued out of the palace, expression uneasy. _I fear my eyes will be pure no more once I look upon a victim of such torture…_

"Princess! Princess Luvbi!"

Luvbi's amethyst gaze traveled over her shoulder to see a young woman following her, lavender hair flowing out behind her as she hurried toward the young Nimbi. "Good afternoon, Kurobi," she greeted.

Kurobi the Nimbi's hands flew to her hips—today she was garbed in fine scarlet satin that seemed to pale in comparison to her vivid crimson eyes. Her wings fluttered in annoyance. "Where are you going?"

Luvbi smiled politely. Maybe it was from living in the Underwhere for so long, but her nursemaid, Kurobi, no longer spoke like a regular Nimbi. If anything, she sounded an awful lot like a D-Man nowadays. "Out… I have grown bored of the palace."

She tried her hardest not to cringe under Kurobi's piercing gaze. Finally, Kurobi's hands fell from her hips. "Don't you think you should stay here?" she asked reproachfully. "Queen Jaydes will wonder where you've gone if you leave during an execution."

"Kurobi," Luvbi hissed, "that is _precisely _why I would like to leave. Soon, the stench of blood will fill the halls, and I will not stay in if I must inhale that horrid odor."

Her nursemaid continued to look at her sternly, then finally rolled her eyes. "Fine. Do what you want," she said airily, with a wave of her hand. "But don't do anything stupid, or you'll get it when you get back. You understand?"

Luvbi swallowed and nodded hurriedly, then scowled as Kurobi turned away to head back into the castle—Kurobi was really the only one who could, as Jaydes commented, 'put her in her place'. She knew that, for this reason, Jaydes trusted the Nimbi woman completely. Remembering this, Luvbi relaxed somewhat. Jaydes would trust Kurobi's judgment on letting her out alone. Relieved, Luvbi turned her back to the palace and ventured into the Underwhere.

It continued to be humid as she passed the fountain, pausing a moment to stare into its orange depths. It reflected the face of a young Nimbi girl of fifteen, pallid face tinged a carroty hue from the cool liquid. A frown curved her lips, and the reflection distorted—she had angrily slashed her fingers across the surface. She shook orange drops from her fingers and continued away.

"Oh, me…" she muttered, looking behind her. "This land is boring…"

_I grow weary of this place…_

"Why can I not find my prince?" Luvbi mumbled, folding her arms, eyes narrowed. "I would…" she hesitated, and proclaimed, "I would give up my throne for love…"

In all truth, Luvbi was a hopeless romantic. As much as she denied being desperate for affection, that had pretty much become her only goal in life. Her friends had been alienated from her, her parents no longer knew what to do, and Kurobi always seemed to be irritated at her for some reason or other. Luvbi was in comfort, living as a princess of life and death, but she was alone and relatively miserable.

_**Tink…**_

Luvbi's head shot up from her inner monologue. She looked around—she was not alone. The noise in this near-soundless wasteland proved it.

Someone was nearby.

Her voice quavered as she spoke. "H…Hello?"

There was no response, but the grass seemed to shake somewhat. Luvbi's eyes widened as she tentatively reached out for a nearby bush that seemed to be the source of the noise. She knelt, and slashed a hand through the bush.

There was nothing there.

Confused, but curiosity piqued now that she knew there was nothing there, she wondered why there had been a noise in the first place. Luvbi searched through the bush, a grimace growing on her face as she pictured what she must look like at the moment. She gasped as a sharp branch grazed her face, and started to back out of the bush when a glint of gold caught her eye. She carefully reached a hand out toward it, and closed her hand around something small and round. Luvbi hurriedly scrambled out of the bush, rubbed her eyes, and opened her hand, the object sticking to her warm palm.

A bell. It was a bell. Luvbi held it closer to her eyes in wonder—from the size in her hand, she had thought it was a golf ball, though now that she looked at it, it was somewhat smaller than a golf ball. It seemed to glow an otherworldly, bright gold, and it made such a vivid ringing sound that it sent a shiver up her spine.

_Bell…_

"Surely…" she muttered, and her eyes lit up as she sat a little straighter, despite her legs being tucked under her in a rather undignified way. "Surely it is a message for me? My last name is Bell, and it must have appeared only moments ago…"

She giggled and stood. "Perhaps… I should come back tomorrow, yea?" she wondered aloud. "Then maybe I shall see the sender of the message?"

She didn't care that she might be fooling herself into a fantasy. She didn't care that the chances it was really a message for her were 50/50, at best. She didn't care about anything. All she knew was that she had to make it back tomorrow and meet her prince.

As the princess of life and death floated away happily, a wind blew. Somewhere in the darkness of the Underwhere, yellow eyes glinted. They narrowed, watching the fair princess fawn over the golden bell cradled in her hands.

A faint laugh sounded on the breeze…


	2. Fate

_Wow, I was surprised: I got two reviews! I actually thought this fanfic would fade into obscurity.  
><em>_Luvbi speaks a different language in this chapter (one that I've dubbed **Ancient Nimbic.**) In reality it's a mix of French and Latin.  
><em>_And now the all important disclaimer. __I don't own Mario. Enjoy~_

_**ArcticWolf**:__ Thank you so much :D I hope I can keep writing for everyone who wants to see the story continued~_

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><p>Silvery wings fluttered through the wild darkness of the Underwhere, softly glowing in the gloom, almost as if the owner was a ghost. Luvbi was not afraid of the rough, chilly landscape of the Underwhere at the moment; she was determined and excited. Her eyes were wide and shone almost as if it were her birthday.<p>

Quite frankly, it might as well have been, in her opinion, for there was no greater gift than the one she was sure she was about to receive.

She giggled to herself as she drifted around in the dark, amethyst eyes glowing with joyous anticipation. It was not long before she would reach her destination, and she began to feel somewhat anxious. What if something had happened?

Luvbi shook herself and pressed onward. Everything would be fine. All she had to do was take the message and set forth on an adventure of a lifetime: an adventure of love.

From the deep shadows, a pair of eyes peered hungrily into the gloom, awaiting the soft glow that was Princess Luvbi to appear. Luvbi did not notice them as she turned the corner and found herself in the small clearing-like area that she had found the bell in yesterday. Her already broad smile widened even further until she was positively beaming with happiness. Slowly, though, her face twitched uneasily, as if she were nervous at the prospect of meeting the one who had sent her the message. Luvbi swallowed her anxiety and called, hating the tentative way in which her voice shook. "H-Hello…?"

For several moments, there was only silence. Unknown to her, the golden-yellow eyes narrowed and vanished from the place they had been watching from, even as Luvbi's gaze traveled over that exact spot. Nervously, she called out again. "Hello…?"

A sudden, soft laugh almost made Luvbi jump out of her skin, and she looked around for the source. The voice came again, not exactly from one place in particular, but as if it were everywhere. "Are you the one they call Princess Luvbi Bell?" it queried, in an almost amused tone.

Luvbi blinked and gulped, suddenly cold. "O-Oh… yes, I am," she whispered. _First sign of true love: when they know your name… _she recalled dimly, stifling a giggle at the thought.

The melodic laugh sounded again, and Luvbi felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "It's so nice to meet you at last," the voice purred, and finally, Luvbi saw the one who had been speaking.

Her eyes widened as a smirk played on his lips, golden-yellow eyes gleaming playfully from his pale face. She noticed that at the ends of his raven hair, little white tips sparkled… almost like snowdrops… Luvbi felt the word replay in her head almost dreamily.

What put her off—rather, took her aback, for she could not find any fault with him whatsoever, which was rare—was that aside from wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and very fancy looking black slacks, he had on a yellow and violet poncho. On top of that, he was wearing a hat of the same color, but it was a jester hat. She regarded it with wide eyes and discovered, with a shock, that far from making him seem inferior or annoying, the jester get-up seemed to be rather… appealing to the eyes. …_Attractive, _almost.

…Or maybe it _was _attractive and she just didn't want to openly admit it.

She gasped suddenly as he started forward, noticing something that did not please her: a bloody X over his heart. It was the sign of a dead soul waiting to see her mother, and since he had not gone to see Jaydes yet, she figured he had some reason for not wanting to see her.

…Maybe it was because of her…?

She blushed at the very thought of it, but shook her fantasy away. "You are dead," she commented off-handedly—death was such a common thing here that she no longer paid any heed to it.

The jester's smirk twitched, and he put one ebony gloved hand to his chin, the other holding up the first hand's respective elbow. "You must be used to that sort of thing, aren't you," he remarked. It wasn't a question, since it was so strikingly obvious.

Luvbi nodded, a little distractedly. His smirk was infectious, and she found herself smiling more widely as her confidence grew. Her eyes widened suddenly when she looked at his hat again. "Oh, that bell…"

He raised his hand to hold out one of the ends of his hat—the only end that no longer had one of the beautiful golden bells on it. "I had to take it off," he replied simply, "to get the message to you."

Luvbi blushed. _I was right… it was a message! _"What was the message for, pray tell?" she murmured, lowering her head shyly.

"I wanted to warn you," he answered, and put on a somber look. "My game was cut short in a very untimely manner. By the way in which I died, I fear your mother may not see me in a good light, though I wish I could turn back time and fix what I destroyed… she might take me for an evil villain, and give me an eternal punishment," he clarified softly.

Luvbi clapped her hands over her mouth. "N-No!" she exclaimed—forget that she had just met him, her mother couldn't do to him what she had done to so many others! It was too high a price for him to pay if he was sorry. "I… No, i-it cannot be! I will not allow it!"

"But what can you do?" he asked, looking defeated. The shine from his eyes and the bells on his hat seemed to dull—even the marvelous golden brooch on his neck seemed to fade considerably with the expression he put on now. All of the colors in his clothes—right down to the curled black shoes on his feet—seemed to fade into a somewhat grayish color. Luvbi was horrified at the change, and instantly began to speak. "As princess," she began, voice quivering, "I have the power to revive… but I do not know the words to release thee from the Underwhere, so we shall have to be careful while I search…"

The smile immediately returned to his face, just as the colors did to his attire, and she found herself relieved. "Is that so? Then please, beautiful princess, revive me, no matter what cost I must pay… I implore you."

Luvbi blushed profusely and nodded. "But… prithee… what is thy name?"

Even as she asked, the smile on his face grew into a grin. "Some call me the master of dimensions, while others call me pleaser of crowds… but you, dear Luvbi… you may call me Dimentio."

_Dimentio. _The name sounded like a hallelujah chorus to Luvbi's mind. "Dimentio…" she said softly. It rolled off of her tongue almost as if it were music of some unknown, yet beautiful origin. _What a name to have… _she thought dreamily. She hurriedly snapped out of her thoughts and bowed. "My name is Luvbi Abigail Bell," she managed to say, then froze and blushed. "But… thou didst already know that, no?" she mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's understandable," Dimentio purred. "You would want to introduce yourself after I've introduced myself, as it's the polite thing to do. Force of habit, I take it?"

"Yes, exactly," she said warmly. "I believe it is time to revive you, yes?"

"Whenever you're ready," he responded simply, smiling. She missed the hunger in his eyes as she spread out her wings—a hunger for life for reasons one could only guess at…

Luvbi murmured softly under her breath. "_**Raviver et restituet…**_" A soft light began to glow around both of them as she continued on. "_**Vivre et moriendum… Judicio divin, se liber… Divinum que la lumiere eluceat…**_"

A warm light enveloped her as if she were being showered in sunlight, and for several moments she panicked, wondering if she had said the right words. The golden light faded into nothingness, as if swallowed by the darkness of the Underwhere, and she found herself facing Dimentio once more. The jester was holding a hand to his eyes, the gloomy, faded aura of semi-transparency gone. The X on his chest had disappeared.

"Thou art revived," she told him, beaming. "I shall search all I can for the words to release thee from the Underwhere, but for now, I do not know where you can stay…"

"Oh, that's alright," Dimentio replied in cheerful tones. "I'll be around here. I found a cave nearby—that's where I've been while waiting for you."

Luvbi grinned so widely that her cheeks began to hurt. "I shall take my leave, then," she giggled. "I will see thee later, Dimentio."

With a last curtsy, Luvbi turned and started her way toward the castle once more, but stopped dead. "Oh," she called over her shoulder, struck by a sudden idea, "I will be back tomorrow. Now that thou art alive again, thou shall get hungry, no?"

A faint chuckle reached her ears, and she giggled again, this time hurrying off at a faster pace. She was still excited, even more so now that she had actually met her mysterious messenger.

She suddenly found herself heading face-first toward the ground, and instinctively covered her face with her arms moments before the hit the ground. Dazed and confused, but unhurt, Luvbi lifted her head and looked around. She had tripped, yes, but how? Feeling around, her foot hit something hard, and she reached for it as she sat up.

Luvbi gazed at it curiously: a black and white mask, somewhat cracked and more than a little dirty. She felt a magical pulse from it even as she held it to her eyes to examine it more closely.

"I wonder what this is…?" she murmured to herself. Shrugging, she slipped it into one of the overlarge pockets in her dark violet cloak, and went off toward the palace once more.

_Dimentio… could you be the prince I've been waiting for…?_

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><p><strong><em>"Wait... wait, come back!"<em>**

**_"What? What is it?"_**

**_"I feel like... I feel like I've seen you before. Have we ever met?"_**

**_"...If we have, it wasn't in this lifetime. You look familiar."_**

**_"...What's your name?"_**

**_"Me? Oh... I'm nobody, really. ...But your name sounds so familiar to me..."_**


	3. Muse

_I got a few more reviews, which makes me extremely happy. Thanks, everyone! And now to business: by now, you may have a few questions as to where exactly this is going. How did the bell message come about? What's going on with our favorite jester? And perhaps most important of all… What are Dimentio's true intentions?  
><em>_While this chapter **will answer all of those questions**, there are a few more questions in the long run that will develop over time. (You'll just have to wait and see.) Also, this chapter gets a little wordy (it's almost like a drabble), so bear with me. You might also get a little confused (i.e. "What's an Opposite?") but know that those are the sort of questions that will be answered in the long run. You'll be learning with Luvbi, as Dimentio already knows everything.  
>Anyway, I don't own Mario. Get ready for a few fascinating walls of text...<em>

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><p>The princess of life and death left the clearing, a pure glow around her as she reveled in her happiness. When she finally disappeared out of sight, the glow lasted for another few moments. It quickly faded and died under the dark chill of the deeper Underwhere, and under the cold, golden-yellow gaze of the jester floating in the shadows of the dark trees. A smirk, harsher and colder than any he had shown earlier to Luvbi, curled on the jester's pale face, accenting the crueler glint in his eyes—it hadn't even been discernable past his charming smile of earlier.<p>

Folding his arms, Dimentio laughed into the silence, voice echoing eerily on the wind.

His gaze fell into shadow as he turned away, drifting toward the barren path that led downward, further into the Underwhere. As he continued downward into the darkness, he continued to smirk to himself, as if commending himself for a day's work—almost as if he considered his conversation with Princess Luvbi… simply a step to be taken, rather than a talk with someone to be considered a friend, an ally.

A bog faced him boldly, the dark waters and slippery grass practically daring any poor soul who came across this swamp to try and make it through, but Dimentio simply floated across it, practically ignoring it as he continued, lost in his own triumph. An orange light flickered hazily across the walls of a stone cave, and Dimentio finally set foot inside of it. He looked around approvingly: merely days ago, it had been a mess of vegetation and cobweb, the walls dripping with moisture. Now, however, a merry fire stood in the middle of the dry floor, and a makeshift bed lay in the corner. He sat near the warm flames and leaned against the cave wall, his smirk twitching uncontrollably as if he were trying to stop himself from laughing.

_What a fool…_

The utterly head-over-heels, lovestruck mist in the princess' eyes had been hilarious, almost hysterical to look at.

_What a fool the princess is, trusting someone such as myself. Thank goodness Queen Jaydes prefers to keep her daughter out of the know._

Quite frankly, dropping the bell on his hat had been an accident, a fluke caused by a branch that severed the little golden accessory right off of his colorful hat. A shifting among the leaves had made him hide, and to his great surprise, a Nimbi dressed in all her finery had entered the clearing. It had not just been any Nimbi, either: no, it had been Princess Luvbi herself, out for a walk, proclaiming a monologue to herself. She had discovered the bell after he'd brushed the bush with his foot on accident, and had interpreted it as she thought was correct, so desperate she had been—and Dimentio had taken the bait, playing along, as he'd heard all of her musings and giggles at the thought of a suitor leaving a message for her.

Of course he was playing along, it was too perfect to not take the opportunity; Fate had simply dealt him a good hand, perhaps an even better hand than with his plan to rule all worlds, as this time, he barely had to do anything. The first part of the plan had been completed: she had known the chant to revive him and had done so quite expertly, as he felt no pain, almost as if he'd never died in the first place. Unfortunately for him, he had not expected Luvbi to not know the chant to allow him to leave the Underwhere, so this was a temporary setback from his plan to conquer all worlds. But no matter, no matter… He would simply have to make up for lost time. He probably wouldn't even have to do that, considering the heroes wouldn't even know he was alive again!

Dimentio laughed aloud to himself.

_I pity those heroes the day I make it out of here._

His trump card was the fact that the princess of life and death, Luvbi, was so deeply infatuated with him that she could not even think straight—had she not been daydreaming when she'd met him, she might have been more careful. But she—along with everyone else who would soon fall by his hand—had been unlucky, and now it was Dimentio's turn to win at the game.

There were just a few setbacks…

Dimentio frowned slightly as he replayed the cons to this plan. For one thing, his powers had been sapped upon his death, and would have to restore slowly in order to return to his peak strength of old. He had been much stronger before he had met Count Bleck, but something about the Dark Prognosticus' presence had almost… weakened him. If he wanted to return to that strength, it would take a while, but his peak strength would take even longer. For now he could barely form sparks in his hand, but he didn't mind as long as he could hide himself… invisibility was not a difficult magic to perform.

The other setback was that Luvbi, though she did not know it, had powers that she had probably never even dreamed of. It would take a lot of emotional strain to set them off, and Dimentio betraying her, telling her he had been leading her on, would probably be enough to break through whatever mental barrier was blocking off her powers, for of course after he was set free, she would have to be silenced. It could not be avoided, meaning Luvbi's outburst could not be avoided, either. The fact that she was a Pure Heart with the power of love, and whatever color she was as a Heart, unnerved him, especially as the Pure Hearts had ultimately been his downfall in the fight for all worlds. He especially shuddered to think of what might happen if she were the white Heart… it would not do to have the Divine Heart do battle with him, for as it was his—the Chaos Heart's—Opposite, it had the power to destroy him, just as he had the power to destroy it. In his weakened state, however, Luvbi would come out on top… and so that worried him more than anything else in this plan. He reluctantly hoped he could postpone leaving for as long as possible, as to gain his old strength back, especially if worse came to worst.

The worst part, though, was the loss of his mask, a vital channeling source to allow his powers to realize their fullest potential. It was definitely somewhere in the Underwhere, but where exactly, he couldn't even begin to guess at. This was a vast portion of the underworld, after all; who knew exactly where everything was in a place like this except for residents? He could persuade Luvbi to help him find it, but with its magical properties, he was sure she'd know he was up to something, or at the very least, take interest in it. Though Luvbi lived with her head in the clouds (quite literally, in fact), she was not an idiot. In fact, she was much sharper and colder than the pink-garbed princess who had been the second hero of prophecy, which made Dimentio both uneasy and impressed against his will.

Dimentio honestly couldn't say how long he thought he'd be here. He had estimated a week maximum when he had originally formulated his plan with Luvbi, but now it looked to be at least a couple of months. He shrugged, sliding toward his bed of brush and settling himself on it comfortably, staring at the blank wall as if it had interesting writing on it. It didn't really matter how long he'd be here. He was comfortable just waiting it out, and in the meantime, messing with Luvbi's mind. A sinisterly amused, almost sadistic, smirk rose onto his lips, darkening his face overall. Dimentio was already having a little too much fun with messing with the princess' head, and maybe he would be going a little overboard to toy with the emotions of a fifteen year old girl—lovestruck princess living in a fantasy world or not—but at least he would be amused while he was here. If he had to wait two months in utter silence, awaiting the day when the princess would finally come set him free, he was sure he would probably crack from boredom and destroy something. After all, while lying in wait to betray Count Bleck and take over all worlds, he'd been able to taunt O'Chunks, tease Mimi, and give both Nastasia and Mr. L such a case of paranoia that they'd jump whenever they saw him around the corner of a hallway. Dimentio was the master at mind games, and despite only having one person to vent his boredom on, that was enough.

The Master of Dimensions, Pleaser of Crowds, Charming Magician… Dimentio… could wait as long as it took.

Even if it meant waiting here in this accursed underworld.

"_Ah ha ha… _don't let your guard down, heroes… I will return…"


	4. Magic

**GAH. ****I AM SO SORRY. ;A;**

…**and I bet that's what you guys wanted to hear, huh? *shot***

**Seriously, though, I'm really sorry I didn't update for so long. I moved, and then I started 9th grade, and then I just forgot about this story for over a month, and then I had NaNoWriMo and then I was just LAZY and had no motivation… If you think I'm taking too long to update, don't be afraid to send me a PM telling me to get a move on, 'k? Kick me in the shins if you have to. It's motivating to know that there are still people out there awaiting an update. (…even if it's painful.)**

**On a lighter note, Happy belated Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Years', and Merry belated Christmas. Consider this... uh... a Martin Luther King Jr. day present? ...SURE LET'S GO WITH THAT.**

**ANYWAY. Enjoy this very late update! (And expect some double updates in the future.)**

**PS- In case you have been wondering, yes, Luvbi IS supposed to speak in Old English. However, I have had a little trouble writing in Old English for long stretches of time within the past 3 chapters. HOWEVER however, I recently read Romeo and Juliet, so. Shouldn't be very difficult anymore. And Luvbi's Old English speak is going to diminish from here, since she'll be spending so much time in the Underwhere.**

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><p>A pleasant tune escaped the lips of the pretty white-haired girl in the kitchens of the Underwhere palace, barely heard over the sound of a simmering liquid in a pot, placed on the stovetop to boil. Luvbi knew her quiet melody wouldn't be overheard, what with the cook's soup softly bubbling in its pot muffling all other noise, and so tried to act as naturally as possible all while quickly scooping food into her picnic basket. She uneasily cast a glance over her shoulder, but saw no one there, and continued to work. Within minutes she was snapping her picnic basket closed and at last heading out of the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.<p>

Luvbi blew some stray strands of hair out of her eyes, almost trembling with relief as she crept out of the palace, holding her head high and being careful not to look too guilty or too enthusiastic. Though she wasn't the type to show it very much, she was a well-practiced stoic, and kept her eyes blank and her expression bland, with a faintly curved smile, as she trailed off toward her destination. All the Shaydes she bypassed bowed reverently, greeting her, but they didn't throw a second glance at her as she continued on her way. The Shaydes were the type to gossip endlessly, but Luvbi was Queen Jaydes' daughter, therefore no one would disrespect Luvbi, lest they end up losing their aftergame.

Only when Luvbi was out of sight and in the deeper, colder darkness of the Underwhere did she allow a grin to creep onto her face, eyes glowing and face almost literally beaming with joy. A shrill, excited giggle escaped her lips, and she stopped in her tracks, biting down on her knuckles, silently trying to muffle her laughter into her fist. When she'd calmed down, Luvbi took a breath and tried to control herself as she swept into the clearing.

"Dimentio?" she whispered. No one answered her, and Luvbi blinked, wondering if he had left to another part of the Underwhere. Inwardly groaning at the thought of traipsing all over the relatively vast underworld to look for him, she called again. "Dimentio? Art thou hither?"

No response. Luvbi's eyebrows furrowed worriedly, and supposed maybe she could check around the area. "Dimentio?" she called yet again, as loudly as she dared.

"You rang?"

Luvbi squeaked, startled as she whirled around to face the yellow-and-purple clad jester, who was simply standing behind her, smiling as if she had simply walked up to him and greeted him. Luvbi held her hand over her heart, which was pounding wildly, not to her surprise. "Oh, my goodness…" she breathed, taking a deep breath. She sighed and folded her arms, a crease in her forehead forming as she spoke. "Thou didst give me a heart attack!" she told him weakly, putting a hand to her cheek.

"Really? Did that bother you?" Dimentio queried, rather cheerfully. "If so, if you'd like, I won't do that anymore."

Luvbi blushed, though she honestly didn't think it was a matter of whether she asked him to stop or not—she shrugged it off, though, telling herself that was just how Dimentio was. "I'm fine," she replied, and held up the picnic basket. "I brought you something to eat," she murmured shyly.

"Not now," he replied, drifting past her, and beckoned with one ebony gloved hand. "Come—let me show you where I've been staying."

Luvbi immediately followed, further down into the Underwhere, and stopped in her tracks for several seconds. This was where the horrible bogs of the Underwhere were, where many Shaydes had been lost to the dark waters, and where false lights led you only to death by a watery grave. Luvbi, being a mix of pure Nimbi and pure Shayde blood, still had a life to lose, meaning in all normal circumstances she was lucky—but here, she had no chance. Even as she came back here in an afterlife state, she would be bound to the waters, like a zombie, forever to try and avenge herself by taking as many as she could down with her. Shivering, Luvbi was sure to float several inches from the ground as she followed Dimentio into one of the caves nearby.

Luvbi was met with a pleasant surprise as she entered the cave—instead of a dank, moist cavern, she was greeted with a snug, almost alcove-like cave, lined with brush against the wall so it would not touch the fire in the middle. She sat against the wall, surprised at how soft a seat the brush made, and immediately made herself more comfortable. Next time, she decided reluctantly, she would wear pants, or at least a skort—the somewhat fancy lace dress was not appropriate to go into the wilderness of the Underwhere in.

She glanced over to Dimentio, who was sitting on the other side of the fire, crunching on a pear quite appreciatively. He spoke when it had been reduced to a core, which—not surprisingly, considering how hungry he must have been by then—did not take a very long time at all. "You've brought a lot of food," he remarked. "I can't possibly eat all of this in one day; I'd get a terrible stomach ache. Did you have an idea…?"

Luvbi nodded. "'Twould look suspicious," she pointed out, "if I were to leave the palace every day to bring food. Three days' worth of food are packed here," she finished, patting the picnic basket. "I shall return in three days." Even as she spoke, her heart pounded, throwing a temper tantrum, screaming that it didn't want to wait that long to see him again. The jester commented that it was a wise plan and he would go along with it, but Luvbi barely heard him, lost in her own thoughts.

"Do you like fireworks, Luvbi?"

Luvbi's head snapped up as she realized Dimentio was asking her a question, and she nodded, remembering her very first impression of fireworks. _Flowers in the sky, painting a picture of light and beauty on a pure moonlit night…_

Dimentio just smiled, then snapped his fingers a few times, finally casting colorful sparks into the air. Luvbi gasped, stunned beyond words, gazing at the beautiful colors as they hung in the air and created a small whirlwind of rainbow lights, finally dying and falling into the fire, which instantly turned a stunning violet color. Luvbi beamed, eyes sparkling, instantly enchanted by the hypnotic color. "Beautiful," she whispered, gaze traveling over the quiet flames and finally to the jester's face. "Amazing."

"I thought you might like that," he replied casually, as if he had done nothing more exciting than picking up a rock and throwing it to the side, his golden-yellow eyes glinting in the violet firelight. He cast his fingers up again, and sent more sparks out, this time in fiery orange and a softer, cooler blue, forming them into a musical note, which actually played a faint melody before succumbing to the fire—the fire turned a magnificent ruby at this, casting a soft scarlet glow over the cave. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and in Luvbi's eyes, it was another perfectly good reason to be head over heels for Dimentio.

For some time after that, Dimentio would send colorful sparks in varying shapes and sizes, and after a while Luvbi even started requesting colors and shapes, which he obliged to, usually doing even more than she asked. When he finally stopped, saying that he was still weak after being revived and needed to rest, a conversation broke out about all sorts of things, mostly about Luvbi and her life. Luvbi quite cheerfully told him about her life, reminiscing and realizing with Dimentio's help.

"What about you?" she asked curiously, just after a small rant about what she wanted for her sixteenth birthday, which would not be for another six months. Dimentio raised an eyebrow, but Luvbi did not clarify—she knew that he knew full well what she meant. Dimentio finally just shrugged. "What do you want to know?" he asked simply.

Luvbi paused, realizing that if she wanted to get any information about him, she would have to ask a direct question. "…How old are you?" she asked.

Dimentio smirked faintly. "Luvbi, it's not polite to ask someone their age," he teased, laughing softly.

Luvbi blushed before retorting, "Women, thou dost mean. The last I noted," she continued triumphantly, "thou had given off a completely masculine air."

He merely sighed, shrugging as if she had destroyed his argument and he could not think of anything further to say. Slowly, a smirk twitched onto his lips, and he raised an eyebrow at Luvbi. "Guess," he said.

Luvbi groaned, shutting her eyes and folding her arms, pursed lips set into a pout as she opened her eyes again to glare at him. "Dimentio…"

"You have to guess," he taunted, grinning. "You're the one who wanted to know, Luvbi."

"…Seventeen?" Luvbi guessed, raising an eyebrow.

Dimentio seemed impressed, though not with Luvbi. "Interesting how that's the first age everyone jumps to," he commented. "No, I'm not seventeen."

"Twenty?" Luvbi guessed again in a drier tone.

Dimentio laughed softly. "Not quite."

Luvbi sighed. "Nineteen?" she grumbled, somewhat irritated.

The jester grandly spread his arms apart. "Well done." He conjured a handful of colorful confetti, and proceeded to throw it into the air in mock celebration.

Luvbi simply rolled her eyes, though in a fond manner rather than in an annoyed one. For several minutes, she watched the silver flames dance, casting flickering shadows on the cave wall. An idea abruptly struck her, and she glanced back up at the jester, who was now sitting quietly with his back against the cave wall, eyes shut. "Dimentio?" she called softly.

He didn't bother to open an eye when answering. "Mm?"

"Would you…" Luvbi pushed herself into a straighter sitting position, as she continued brightly, "Wouldst thou teach me magic?"

Dimentio's eyes opened almost lazily upon her finishing her question, and he simply looked at her, though a rather curious air seemed to be about him now. "Why do you ask?" he queried, quirking a brow.

Luvbi evenly met his golden-yellow gaze. "I want to learn how to do tricks like that," she said earnestly, nodding her head toward the flames that had apparently turned rainbow when she had stopped looking at them. "Thou art the only one I know who can perform such wonderful magic."

Dimentio's eyebrows raised as she continued to give him an imploring, pleading look, and he finally sighed, shrugging. "If you insist," he said finally, much to Luvbi's delight. "Not tonight, though," he added swiftly. "You know what happens when one is reborn from death, aside from simply getting tired from using too much magic at once, do you not?"

"Their powers take time to replenish…" Luvbi agreed reluctantly.

"Precisely. These little tricks, as you call them, are merely fractions of my power. You will have to learn as I heal, though. I am too tired to teach you anything too powerful at the moment, nor do you have enough experience to learn such difficult magic." As if to accentuate his point, he covered his mouth and yawned widely, the other arm stretching outward. Luvbi pouted lightly—she wanted to learn magic, but it looked as though she would simply have to be patient. Patience was a thing she both did and did not have; it depended on the context. For Dimentio, she could conjure all of the patience in the world, but for others… well, to this day she was unsure of how she managed to cope with Melobi, a rather snotty Noblenimbi girl from her school.

"Incidentally," Dimentio's voice spoke suddenly, and Luvbi instantly snapped into attention, "have you seen a mask anywhere?"

Luvbi frowned slightly. "A mask…?" she trailed, thinking for a few moments to see if she had come across anything of the sort.

"Yes, a mask. It's a rather simple mask. Half of it is black, and the other, white."

Luvbi's eyes widened, and she almost opened her mouth to tell Dimentio of the mask she had found the other day—but she stopped herself. "Is it yours?" she queried curiously. Did Dimentio wear a mask…?

The jester nodded to her. "It is. It's very important to me, so if you see it, I'd really like for you to return it as soon as you can…"

"I shall keep an eye out," Luvbi promised, smiling brightly. Dimentio nodded again and leaned his head back against the wall, shutting his eyes again.

She wasn't really sure why she wasn't telling Dimentio that she had his mask at home, but… it was broken, wasn't it? There was no point in returning it broken. She could probably fix it and then return it to him later, and maybe even improve it in some way… Pleased with herself at the thought, Luvbi settled more comfortably among the brush and relaxed against the cave wall, staring out of the mouth of the cave and watching the Underwhere's scenery.

Maybe she could not learn magic yet, but for now, she was perfectly content with sitting in silent company with Dimentio.


End file.
